Unlike CL High School Board, Cary Grade School Board Posted Summary of Proposed Teacher Contract Three Days in Advance of Contract Vote

Crystal Lake High School District 155’s Board was scheduled to meet last night to pass the new teachers’ contract but cancelled the meeting because of bad weather. Now, the vote is scheduled for Thursday night. No one in the public … Continue reading

Continued Discussion on School Consolidation

In the “Here we go again” category is consolidation of schools. These comments by Lakewood’s Steve Willson stimulates me to re-post the analysis I did seven years ago under his reflections: I’m so tired of this “consolidate the schools” argument. … Continue reading

Cary Grade School District Holding Meeting to Explain Next Year’s Tax Levy

Tax districts are required to place “black border” ads in the paper to notify residents if they plan to increase their tax levies more than 5%. Cary Grade School District 26 is not increasing its levy 5% or more, but … Continue reading

What Is the Cary Grade School District Doing that Other School Districts Aren’t?

That’s pretty much the question that District 26 Elementary School Board President Scott Coffey asks in a comment under this article: Given all of the massive spending increases and new debt issued by school districts in this County, I sometimes … Continue reading

Cary School District Employees Could Get $676 More in Take-Home Pay by Dropping Out of Union

According to the Cary Elementary School District 26, each unionized employee pays $37.56 in each of the eighteen pay periods in dues to the Illinois Education Association. Regardless of income, each employee pays the same amount. That’s amounts to $676 … Continue reading

Cary School Board Gets the Property Tax Burden Message

Cary Grade School District 26 Board President Scott Coffey explains below what the School Board did with its property tax levy for next year: D26 implemented a two-pronged approach to the levy this year. First, we applied the CPI rate … Continue reading

Cary Grade School Board President Compares D26 Spending Cuts to D155 Hikes

This appeared from Scott Coffey in a comment. I think it deserves broader readership: I always get a chuckle when someone “assures” me that something can’t be done. We were told that alot in 2010 as we tried to turn … Continue reading

“Other Post Employment Benefit Costs” and Impact Withdrawing from SEDOM Will Have on School Districts

Cary Grade School Board President Scott Coffey suggested looking at the Woodstock School District’s “Other Post Employment Benefit Costs” in a comment under Susan Handelsman’s cost-benefit analysis of keeping Clay Academy, a special education facility, open. I asked for an … Continue reading

Two File for Two Cary Grade School Seats as Write-Ins

There are four seats on Cary Grade School District 26 which are up for election in April. Only two people are on the ballot. Two others, however, have filed as write-in candidates. They are Leonard Kaxmer Ron Demkowicz Neither seems … Continue reading

Cary Grade School Board President Tells How to Cut High Interest Debt

In a comment reply to Mark under this article: Cary Grade School Board Saves by Refinancing High Interest Bonds Cary Elementary School Board President Scott Coffey shares his Board’s strategy to save taxpayers money. You can read it below: The … Continue reading

Cary Grade School Board Saves by Refinancing High Interest Bonds

A press release from the Cary Elementary District 26 School Board: CARY DISTRICT 26 BOND REFUNDING RESULTS IN SAVINGS TO TAXPAYERS CARY, IL – The Board of Education of Cary School District 26 took steps this last month to reduce property … Continue reading

Cary School Board President Asks Jack Franks, “Where’s the Plan?”

The following comment from Cary School Board President Scott Coffey is too insightful not to share further than the comment section of McHenry County Blog: County Board Has No Control Over Spending by Any Other Tax District  Cary Grade School … Continue reading

Considering Consolidation of High School District 155 with Feeder Grade Schools

The following was written by Cary Grade School Board President Scott Coffey: Thoughts on School Consolidation A new, consolidated district is NOT required to migrate to the highest wage rates of the legacy contracts of the combined districts. However, that … Continue reading

Cary Grade School District 26 Prepares for Little State Aid

The following was written by Cary Elementary School Board President Scott Coffey under the article about the high effective tax rates paid in McHenry County, compared to the rest of the Chicago Metropolitan Area: Regarding General State Aid for Chicago … Continue reading

McHenry County Schools Asking for 1.23% More This Year

Below you can see what McHenry County school districts will be asking to extract from your checking or escrow accounts this year. You will note that all of them put together are requesting 1.23% more, although the rate of inflation … Continue reading

Replay: School Consolidation Would Cost Taxpayers Plenty

In the “Here we go again” category is consolidation of schools. Just as with township consolidation, I ask, “Where’s the beef?” Show me the money that school consolidation would bring. Don’t just assert that consolidation of school will save money. … Continue reading